Wandering Eyes

Freshman sire Bayern was represented by his first winner June 18, when the 2-year-old filly Bayerly Seen aired by 12 1/4 lengths upon debut at Indiana Grand Race Course. View the full article

Promising Waikato apprentice Taiki Yanagida will return to raceday riding at Counties on Thursday after being on the sidelines for a couple of months after a trackwork incident. “I got injured when riding track work,” he said. “The horse shifted towards the fence and my ankle went against the fence and just snapped.” It has been a relatively quick recovery for Yanagida, who suffered the injury in mid-April, and he said he is feeling back to normal after completing his rehabilitation. “... View the full article

After receiving regulatory approval to offer Thoroughbred racing and historical gaming, a subsidiary of Laguna Development Corporation is expected to complete an $11 million deal in the coming days to purchase Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. View the full article

Son of Poet's Voice will start in Windsor Castle Stakes. View the full article

5th-Indiana Grand, $31,000, Msw, 6-18, 2yo, f, 5f (off turf), :58.24, ft. BAYERLY SEEN (f, 2, Bayern–Overseen, by First Defence) became her freshman sire (by Offlee Wild)’s first winner with this runaway score. Sent off as the 4-5 favorite in this rained-off affair, she led them every step en route to a 12 1/4-length score. One Shot (Animal Kingdom) completed the exacta. The winner’s dam had a colt by Vancouver (Aus) in 2018 and a colt by Midnight Lute this year. This is the extended female family of Commander in Chief (GB), Warning (GB), Dushyantor, etc. Sales history: $25,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP; $65,000 RNA 2yo ’19 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $18,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart. O-GenStar Thoroughbreds & Hidden Brook Farm; B-Hartwell Farm, Inc (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. The post Bayern Gets His First Winner at Indiana Grand appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Aidan O'Brien extended his record as the most successful trainer in the Coventry Stakes (G2) when Arizona gave him a ninth victory in the most prestigious 2-year-old race at Royal Ascot June 18. View the full article

Marylou Whitney has seen just about everything there is to see in the world of Thoroughbred racing. Norm Casse has seen plenty too as the right-hand man to his father Mark, but what he hadn’t seen until late Saturday night was a stakes win under his own name. A sophomore filly named Hard Legacy (Hard Spun), carrying the iconic eton blue and brown colors of Whitney, changed that when scoring in front-running style in the GIII Regret S. under the lit-up Twin Spires at Churchill Downs. “It’s probably relief more than anything else,” Casse said Tuesday of how his milestone victory felt. “I put a lot of pressure on myself and our team and set certain expectations, and that was one of them. So we’re just happy and relieved to get that one out of the way.” As far as names go in racing, they don’t get more legendary than Whitney’s, and it was a striking unity of generations far removed for the 36-year-old Casse to earn his first black-type success for the 93-year-old Queen of Saratoga. “I really can’t put into words what it means. When I think about that I won a stake, I don’t even think about that, I think about the fact that we won a stake for Marylou Whitney,” Casse said. “It’s really not sinking in.” Growing up the son and grandson of Thoroughbred trainers, it seemed inevitable that Casse would become a horseman himself, but he recalled that it was Whitney’s most famous victory of the 21st century that officially angled him onto that path. “I joke about it all the time, but it’s really not a joke, it’s true, the reason that I started training or wanted to become a horse trainer was when Birdstone beat Smarty Jones in the Belmont,” he said. “Smarty Jones was always my favorite horse and that was just devastating that day. I find it poetic that now I’m training for the outfit that beat him. It’s an incredible honor just to be associated with her. She’s the epitome of class.” While Casse’s connections through his work as Head Assistant Trainer for his father’s barn indirectly helped him, it was at the direction of Whitney’s husband, John Hendrickson, that he got involved with her outfit. “John Hendrickson likes giving new guys a chance, and he reached out to [Live Oak Plantation principal] Charlotte Weber, who I had a relationship with through dad with him training for her all these year,” Casse said. “Charlotte gave John the blessing that she thought I would be the right fit for them, and that’s how it all shook out.” Given Casse’s formative memory of Birdstone, it’s fitting then that Hard Legacy is out of the Whitney mare Stone Legacy, a Grade I-placed daughter of the diminutive Classic winner. A seven-length winner first out on the Keeneland turf last October, she repeated in a Gulfstream optional claimer Dec. 23, but was off the board in two stakes tries before breaking through in the Regret, her first nine-furlong attempt. “Both of her stakes starts she had a lot of trouble, and I like to use every race as a learning experience, win lose or draw,” Casse said. “We feel like we learned some stuff about her, we figured that the stretch-out would be much to her benefit because then she can get loose on the lead and really relax as opposed to chasing like she does going the mile distance. She’s just a talented horse and I feel like the more and more we run her, the better she’s going to get.” The stakes win was the culmination of 16 months of solo work for Casse, who had more eyes on him than perhaps any other trainer who’s gone out on his own after working as an assistant since Chad Brown emerged from Bobby Frankel’s shadow in 2007. “I feel really good, I feel like we’ve done everything we were supposed to do,” he said when asked to assess his stable’s performance so far. “I think that the expectations are high, both from myself and from the outside. I feel like we’ve done everything we can do to this point, and we’ve just got to keep building on that, but so far, so good.” Building a legacy, after all, is hard. The post In With the Old, In With the New appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For you, would Royal Ascot be more of a social occasion or a sporting opportunity? More of “who’s that?” or “I had that!” Would you know who was in the second carriage of the Royal Procession today by only knowing their first names: Wills & Kate, Camilla & Charles? Or, would you know the first four jockeys past the winning post in today’s St. James’s Palace Stakes if you only had their first names: Ryan, Adam, Frankie & James? There are richer races. There are pricier parties. There are larger race crowds. But to be in the winners enclosure after a race at the most famous racetrack in the world during the brief and historic fortnight in June is what people live for. Today was a tough day. The weather was blah, on and off rain all day long. A train strike/slowdown rattled thousands of racegoers even before the Royal Procession, where Queen Elizabeth II wore a blue hat (favored at 3/2.) My pal, Elinor Penna bet rose. (Four more days, Elinor. You can scratch blue.) On the track, we saw no Wesley Ward youngsters. A 10-time winner at this meet, he brought eight two-year-olds and one older horse to the U.K. He cross-entered all of the two-year-olds, but will unveil 4 of them on Wednesday. Two in the opener, the G2 Queen Mary S. and two in the closer, the Listed Windsor Castle S. All four have been out one time each. All four have been impressive winners of their lone starts at Keeneland or Belmont. If you are wondering “where in the world is Tyler Gaffalione?” He’s here. And so is John Velasquez. They will each ride for Wesley. Tyler is on Anna’s Fast (Fast Anna) and Kimari (Munnings). Johnny V. rides Foolish Humor (Distorted Humor) and Karak (Karakontie {Jpn}). Looking for much better weather, a settled rail strike and a yankee doodle dandy or two accepting a trophy Wednesday at The Royal Meeting. Editor’s note: Dave Johnson is a racecaller and sportscaster (famous for his signature `And down the stretch they come!’) who is attending his 25th consecutive Royal Ascot meeting this year. He is writing a daily Ascot report for the TDN from an American’s perspective. The post appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It’s all about speed in the Queen Mary which kicks off proceedings on Day 2 at Royal Ascot. This race is for two-year-old fillies run over over five furlongs and has been won by some very smart fillies, most notably Attraction (2003) and Lady Aurelia (2016). Wesley Ward is the trainer to note in here […] The post Royal Ascot Preview – Day 2 appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Jeff Saturday, six-time Pro Bowl center and Super Bowl champion for the Indianapolis Colts, will serve as the official chairperson for the GIII Indiana Derby set for Saturday, July 13. Saturday will provide a meet and greet from 7:30 until 8:30 p.m. on the racecourse apron. He will also help present the trophy to the winner. The post Jeff Saturday to Serve as Indy Derby Chairperson appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Ellis Entertainment, LLC, a subsidiary of Laguna Development Corporation based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has purchased Ellis Park Racetrack in Henderson, Kentucky, for $11 million. The current owners are Saratoga Casino and Hospitality Group of Saratoga Springs, New York. The transaction was confirmed by both parties following approval for the issuance of a racing license to Ellis by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Tuesday. Kevin Greer, Managing Partner for Ellis Entertainment said, “We are both honored and excited for the opportunity to purchase Ellis Park, one of Kentucky’s oldest and most revered racetracks. We appreciate the knowledge and support the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has provided us while we prepare torestore Ellis Park to its rightful place as one of the Bluegrass State’s premier racing facilities.” With an exciting racing season starting soon, Saratoga will continue to operate the racetrack and will serve as managers and operators during the 2019 racing season through a management agreement with the New Mexico buyers. Ellis Entertainment will operate the Historical Horse Racing (HHR) facility and immediately begin maintenance and facility upgrades as part of a comprehensive remodeling and expansion plan. “We remain committed to the upcoming racing season at Ellis Park and ensuring that it is one of the most successful the property has seen in years,” said Daniel Gerrity, President of Saratoga Casino & Hospitality Group. “We look forward to working closely with Ellis Entertainment in the coming months to ensure a seamless transition of ownership.” Ellis will invest an additional $55 million at the property to include an expanded Historical Horse Racing facility, new and improved food and beverage offerings, refurbishment of the grandstands and barns along with a number of upgrades to both the public facilities and back-of-house operations. The transfer of ownership is scheduled to be completed within the next several days. The post Laguna Development to Purchase Ellis Park appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Circus Maximus gave Aidan O'Brien a record eighth win in the St. James's Palace Stakes (G1) as he first outbattled Too Darn Hot before holding off the late lunge of King of Comedy. View the full article

Runners on day two of Royal Ascot will have to wade through testing turf after the threatened storms delivered abundant rain on Tuesday and that puts a different slant on the feature G1 Prince of Wales’s S. Now firmly established as the meeting’s mecca for the middle-distance firmament, this year’s edition is yet another testament to the mighty influence of Urban Sea (Miswaki) which was felt so keenly in the Derby earlier this month. Her two outstanding sons Galileo (Ire) and Sea the Stars (Ire) are double-handed in a stand-off of suitable gravity for this once second-level contest which has been reinvented in recent times and now carries greatly enhanced status. The Derby-winning standard-bearers are armed with one entire 5-year-old horse and 4-year-old filly apiece and before the showers on Tuesday it was impossible to drive a significant wedge between any of the quartet. Galileo’s Magical (Ire) and Waldgeist (GB) enter on winning terms with arguably a personal best on their latest outings, while the Sea the Stars’ brace consists of two of his finest in Sea of Class (Ire) and Crystal Ocean (GB). Tuesday’s change in going means that the axis has shifted away from Sunderland Holdings’ Sea of Class, who is the sole member of the quality foursome to have a distinct fast-ground preference. Her suave displays in the G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks last summer were set against a backdrop of a sun-blessed Curragh and York’s Knavesmire and the surface was slicker than usual as she just failed to reel in Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the Arc when last seen. Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) managed to take this on his seasonal debut in 2015, but that was a weaker renewal and takes little away from the basic truth that attempting to win a group 1 here on a comeback run is an onerous task. Even before the rain, trainer William Haggas was reserved. “Lots of horses don’t go on from three to four,” he said. “A few fillies do, but there are lots that don’t and you never know until you run them. You don’t normally see it at home, especially if they are not really flash, as you never ask them. At York, she did it on the bridle but she was in great form. Her work has gone well. I’d love to have had a run beforehand, but it was not to be. She’s got to start somewhere and we always wanted to run in this race.” Haggas later admitted to fears that Sea of Class may be withdrawn. “I’m really not sure about the ground, I really want to run her, but I don’t want to bottom her in this ground. I want to make the right decision by her and I’m keen to run, but I’ll speak to Mrs Tsui and walk the track in the morning.” TDN Rising Star Waldgeist is the biggest-priced of the four, but the way Gestut Ammerland and Newsells Park Stud’s steadily-maturing chestnut cut a swathe through the G1 Prix Ganay at ParisLongchamp on his seasonal bow Apr. 28 suggests he could be about to deliver on the biggest stage. There is a doubt he is a poor overseas traveller, with four efforts outside of France failing to yield a positive result and doubts remain largely due to his showing in the latest renewal of the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf, where he trailed Magical by 12 1/2 lengths in fifth. At the start of the afternoon, the G2 Queen Mary S. sees Godolphin’s TDN Rising Star Final Song (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) look to fill the void left by the operation’s sure-fire favourite Chasing Dreams (GB) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). Saeed bin Suroor has endured a near-drought at the meeting since his G1 Gold Cup victory in 2012 with just one interim winner, but the bay looked out of the top drawer when scoring by five lengths in a smart time on her sole start over this course and distance May 10. “She came out of that race in good order and any rain will help her chances,” her trainer said of the daughter of the 2007 G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches third Rahiyah (Rahy) who is yet another classy representative of her prodigious sire this week. “She has been going well at home and I am very happy with her.” Also in the royal blue are the Charlie Appleby-trained duo of Theory of Time (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and TDN Rising Star Divine Spirit (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and the Willie McCreery-trained May 6 Listed First Flier S. winner Ickworth (Ire) (Shamardal). All three have bright futures with differing distance requirements long-term and it is noteworthy that James Doyle has plumped for the stoutest-bred of all in the six-furlong May 20 Windsor winner Theory of Time. “Theory of Time is dropping back in trip, but we don’t see it being a problem and she has sharpened up for her first run,” Appleby said. “She is a strong individual and we are looking forward to seeing how she gets on. We wouldn’t have had many two-year-olds by Dubawi running over this trip, but she has strength and speed so the stiff five furlongs at Ascot should suit. James Doyle, who had the choice of which filly to ride, picked Theory of Time and I would tend to agree with him.” Wesley Ward has his first representatives of the week in the 15-length Apr. 25 Keeneland maiden special weight winner Kimari (Munnings) and Breeze Easy’s Anna’s Fast (Fast Anna), who had covered the same strip also in authoritative style the day before. Drawn 18 and 22 respectively, they could be bringing the high-drawn Bin Suroor and Appleby runners along in their slipstream which could be bad news for those coming from single-figure stalls like Ickworth and Ballydoyle’s June 8 Navan maiden scorer Tango (Ire) (No Nay Never). One drawn close by is Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum’s electric May 25 Chester maiden winner Raffle Prize (Ire) (Slade Power {Ire}), who is a daughter of the 2009 G3 Oak Tree S. winner Summer Fete (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) so will appreciate the easing in the ground. The G2 Queen’s Vase has a light feel this year, with Ryan Moore opting to ride the G1 Epsom Derby eighth Norway (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) over Ballydoyle’s May 18 Listed Yeats S. scorer Western Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}). Again Godolphin provide a fascinating multiple entry, with the May 4 Listed Prix de l’Avre winner Jalmoud (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) leading the way. “Jalmoud brings a nice progressive profile into the race, having battled well to win his listed race at Longchamp,” Charlie Appleby commented. “It was a very slowly-run race on soft ground that day and we are hoping that the step up in trip might produce further improvement.” The G2 Duke of Cambridge S. is the kind of race Sir Michael Stoute has the secret combination for and it is no surprise to see Abdullah Saeed Al Naboodah’s Rawdaa (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) occupying favouritism after her latest second in the G2 Middleton S. over an extended 10 furlongs at York May 16. Also responsible for last year’s G1 Coronation S. third Veracious (GB) (Frankel {GB}), the all-time leading trainer at the meeting can be content he has ample firepower but neither have rock-solid claims in an open race. Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum’s Pretty Baby (Ire) (Orpen) has a fighting countenance which will take her a long way. Still unexposed, particularly over a mile trip that she attempts for the first time, the May 11 G3 Chartwell Fillies’ S. scorer could have further progression in her. “She just keeps on winning,” trainer William Haggas said. “I’ve been keen to get her up to a mile and we will ride her a bit differently to help her get it.” Closing the second card is the Listed Windsor Castle S. in which the Ward duo Foolish Humor (Distorted Humor) and Karak (Karakontie {Jpn}) provide the usual focus. Ten years on Strike the Tiger (Tiger Ridge) delivering the meeting’s most recent headline-maker a 33-1 success as he headed up the trailblazing raid, a win for either Andrew Farm’s May 2 Belmont scorer or Breeze Easy’s winner at the same venue May 25 would bookend a special decade for their handler. “Foolish Humor probably has the fitness advantage, but I think Karak is probably the better horse,” Ward said. The Royal Hunt Cup features Saeed Manana’s New Graduate (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) who has been heavily gambled in recent days after his five-length success at Ripon Apr. 27. The post After the Rain, The Test appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Los Alamitos Racing Association will offer a cash prize and as many as four seats to the 2020 National Handicapping Championship in a live money handicapping contest July 6. There is a $400 entry fee with $100 of that going into the prize pool and the rest going towards a live-money wagering card. Contestants must enter prior to 1 p.m. Tournament races will include the entire card at Los Alamitos with permitted wagers including win, place, show, exactas, daily doubles and trifectas. Each entry must bet at least $60 per race on five races during the contest to be eligible for prizes, but there is no wagering limit. The player with the highest bankroll at the end of the day will be declared the winner and the player with the second highest bankroll will be the runner-up. The winner will receive 50% of the prize pool. The remaining payoffs: 20% (2nd place), 15% (3rd place), 7.5% (4th place) and 7.5% (most money wagered). Three NHC berths will be up for grabs if the contest has a minimum of 60 entrants. A fourth spot will be added if the contest has 120 entries or more. Two NHC seats will be available if there are less than 60 entrants. The post Los Al to Host Live Money Handicapping Contest appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Woodbine has launched an online 50/50 raffle to support the Rethink Breast Cancer, which is the official charity partner of the Queen’s Plate. The drawing will take place during the Queen’s Plate Festival June 29 at 6 p.m. and tickets can be purchased online from June 17-29. There is a minimum guaranteed prize of $2,500. Also, $1 from every ticket sold during the Queen’s Plate Festival go to Rethink Breast Cancer. The post Woodbine Launches 50/50 to Benefit Rethink Breast Cancer appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Circus Maximus gave Aidan O'Brien a record eighth win in the St. James's Palace Stakes (G1) as he first outbattled Too Darn Hot before holding the late lunge of King of Comedy. View the full article

The recipient of the 2019 Tesio Award is Senator Thomas V. Mike Miller, the Maryland Horse Breeders’ Association announced Tuesday. The award, which bestows special recognition for extraordinary contributions, will be presented June 29 at the Maryland State Fair. The post Tesio Award to Senator Miller appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

David O’Rourke was named the CEO and President of the New York Racing Association Mar. 26, a short time after he was named interim CEO and President following the resignation of Chris Kay. Prior to his promotion, he was a Senior Vice President and generally considered the No. 2 person among NYRA’s management team. He takes over at an interesting time for NYRA, an organization that has several unresolved issues on the table, including the futures of Belmont Park and Aqueduct, figuring out the optimal number of dates to race at Saratoga and how it can try to take advantage of the inevitable legalization of sports betting in New York. TDN: Since your promotion, what has surprised you most about the challenges you face as the head of a major racing organization? And in what areas do you feel you still have things to learn? David O’Rourke: I don’t know if I’d use the word surprised. I’ve assumed the position at a time when there is as lot going on with NYRA. I don’t know if the right term would be change, but we have the Belmont Development going on. We have sports betting on the horizon. There are a lot of balls in the air, which is, really, an opportunity. I don’t know if I’ve been surprised by any particular thing, but I needed to get up to speed on areas that historically might not have been my primary focus. Like sports betting, like Belmont Development, the issues in terms of equine safety. These are areas that–thankfully–we have a lot of depth here in terms of management, but they’re areas that I haven’t historically had to focus on. It’s more trying to get my arms around some of these issues. TDN: The latest on sports betting in New York is that the State Senate is about to vote on a bill that would allow stadiums, arenas and racetracks to open sports betting kiosks in partnership with casinos. It appears the NYRA racetracks would qualify for such kiosks. Would that be a good thing for New York racing? DO’R: They altered the legislation to allow for affiliates, and NYRA would fall into the classification as an affiliate, to take sports betting. This would allow NYRA and other racetracks and OTBs and stadiums to have basically kiosks that are tied back to the servers based at the casinos. It gives us an opportunity to participate at some level, which is a good thing. But there are a couple of things to consider. If you have a sports betting license, you have to end up going into an agreement with a sportsbook operator because they have the background. There’s a payment stream right there. The affiliate model that we’re seeing right now in this current bill would allow us to participate at some level. But, economically it wouldn’t be as advantageous as having a license yourself. TDN: Having your own sports betting license might have meant that your ADW, NYRA Bets, could have taken both sports bets and bets on horse racing. That, no doubt, would have been a home run. DO’R: You have to start to think about not only the New York marketplace, but the national marketplace in general. How does that fit into the new landscape that’s emerging? Is an ADW a stand-alone product or is it a product that is incorporated within a sportsbook? These are questions that we’re going through right now. The question you asked was, would NYRA Bets be allowed to offer sports betting? But I’d almost reverse the question back to you. Should NYRA Bets be the ADW provider within several different sportsbooks? Because what is our end game as an industry? We’re content producers. What we want is a bigger store to sell our content in, and sportsbooks, with all these other products on the shelf, potentially offer us a bigger store, a larger demographic, customers that we wouldn’t be able to get to without unbeknownst amounts of marketing dollars that we don’t have access to. TDN: The New York Islanders will soon break ground on a new arena on the property of Belmont and the arena is expected to open for the 2021-2022 season. Already, there have been announcements made that, due to the arena project, Belmont meets may be shorter, the post time for the first race at Belmont may often be extended to mid-afternoon and the construction was the reason given for extending this year’s Saratoga meet to eight weeks. It cannot be easy dealing with a major construction project going on literally in your own backyard. How are things developing and what is NYRA doing to make sure the construction can coincide as well as possible with a race meet? DO’R: Good question. As always, safety is the number one concern. It’s really when they’re digging a hole, they have dump trucks dumping the material and then they’re driving steel pilings into the ground. That kind of loud construction could cause a safety concern for us. We have to work around that. There are different levels of construction. It’s the noise that is the primary concern. It’s how close are they to the paddock and how loud is it? Once they close in the building, they can pretty much work whenever they want without causing us any problems. There will likely be some adjustments to post times. We might run a little later during the week. We might move over to Aqueduct in the fall a little bit earlier than normal. In the next few weeks we’ll probably have a definitive answer for what the fall meet at Belmont will look like. During the fall, as things play out in what will likely be an abbreviated Belmont meet, we’ll figure out what’s going to go on next spring. It will be a logistical challenge. Belmont Park is going to be a construction site to a certain degree. The arena partners have been great in terms of trying to understand our business. It’s a unique business obviously. They’re wrapping their arms around it, they’re getting a very good understanding. As they’re building the arena and as we start to phase into our construction of our own project here, we’ve already started by moving up to Saratoga a little bit earlier and running five days. We’re likely to be at Aqueduct for a little bit longer, but we do intend to run the spring and fall meets here. They just might be slightly shortened. TDN: Because of the arena project, the Saratoga meet has been altered for 2019. The basic changes are five days of racing a week with no racing on Mondays and eight weeks of racing. Will that be the new normal for Saratoga or might NYRA revert back to what was the 2018 schedule after the Islanders arena is no longer an issue? DO’R: It’s likely that the 2020 meet will look the same as the 2019 meet because the construction will still be going on here. It’s easier for us to get out of their way so they don’t have to condense their work window each day. But this is a great question to ask me Labor Day (closing day at Saratoga). How did the five-day change impact the community up north? If everyone’s happy and it worked well for everyone, it’s an easy answer. If there are competing issues, then its not such an easy answer. TDN: But what about 2020 and beyond or whatever year the Islanders arena is no longer an issue? DO’R: That’s tough to answer until the numbers have come in because you have to take a look at them and how they affect all the constituents. There are the horsemen, how does it impact their operations up north? There’s the town itself, how does it impact the people living there and how does it impact the business community there? Then you come back to us at NYRA. From our point of view, while we believe that running five days a week will help us on things like field size and handle and possibly food and beverage numbers, until we actually play it out, I can’t definitively answer that. If I had to guess, I’d say it would work well for us. Our modeling suggests such, but we are just one stakeholder out of four or five I have just mentioned. TDN: You have a unique situation in New York that is really a throwback to a very different era, where you have two racetracks [Aqueduct and Belmont] eight miles apart, which in this modern age doesn’t appear to make any sense. Everybody’s been asking for years, ‘Will this continue?’ What is NYRA’s thought currently about having two racetracks so close together, where one can easily make a case that only one track is needed? DO’R: Now, you say two race tracks don’t make sense. Well what about two facilities when one’s in Nassau County and the other is on the A train in Queens. Aqueduct is a valuable asset for us for a few reasons. One of question I get asked more than a lot of others is, ‘When are you going to close Aqueduct?’ There’s no definitive time line on that because Aqueduct is required for our winter racing. It’s the only winterized facility that we have. Right now at Belmont, we’re working through things with architects and professionals on what are potential development plans here. One of the questions is, if you were to race in at Belmont in the winter, what would you need to do and what would that cost be? Those are the type of balances that we need to look at if we’re going to think of anything, because we’re required to run a winter meet. In terms of Aqueduct, the other question is what can you do at Aqueduct? We haven’t really invested a ton of money in that facility in terms of amenities. Is there something you could do there? Does sports betting change the equation? There are many days that if you come to Aqueduct when Belmont or Saratoga is running it’s going to be busy. There’s going to be quite a few people that are wagering. The fact that it’s on the subway line and next to a casino does help with traffic. But to your original point, the operating overhead of two facilities, in terms of the racetrack, is significant. It’s a valid question, its just not one we have an answer for at the moment. TDN: Just like how we talked about that in this day and age it doesn’t make sense to have two racetracks eight miles apart, it also doesn’t make sense to have a facility that was built to hold 60,000 people where you need that sort of a facility one day a year. There are so many questions about the future of Belmont Park. It’s a beautiful racetrack, but there’s certainly a sort of dreariness to it when it’s so big and has so few people there on 80% of the days of the meet. Again, the cost to maintain a facility that’s three times the size you need is probably impractical, as well. Yet, you actually do need a very large facility at least one day a year, Belmont Day. This cannot possibly be an easy problem to solve. So, what are NYRA’s thoughts about creating a new Belmont Park and if so, what might that new Belmont Park look like? DO’R: Really, what we’re looking to do is, how do we invest into Belmont so that we can minimize our operating foot print or right size our operating footprint for the regular Saturday and then how do we have it so we can expand for Belmont Stakes Days. It’s not an easy puzzle to solve here. But that is the first question. I do not believe there is any consideration where this building would be replaced, in terms of the shell of it. Now what we’ve challenged the architectural team on, first and foremost, is we need to have a facility that can flex, let’s just call it 10,000 to 15,000 people to 90,000. The operating envelope needs to be able to condense for a regular Saturday because you are correct, it can feel a little vacant even if we have quite a few people here because it’s huge. We need a certain level of amenities that we really don’t have here. We could use some more restaurants. There are balconies that face the paddocks that would make for a nice restaurant here. Then once we have what we need, how do we create a workable facility where we could have 90,000 people at Belmont Stakes Day or 50,000 to 60,000 on a Breeders’ Cup Day? With that you will have an asset that you need to increase the utilization of. If you have a facility that generally does not have 90,000 people except for one or two days a year, you have a lot of infrastructure that is underutilized. Once we solve the equation for what we require for racing, then we start to look into the questions on what else can we do here that will increase the utilization of these assets? That would be Phase 2 of anything that we would do at Belmont, The building is huge. You could look at it as a challenge or look at it as an opportunity. We definitely have the space to solve what we require. Then the challenge/opportunity is what else would complement it? TDN: Just to reiterate, the idea of taking a wrecking ball to the grandstand and starting all over is just not anything that’s on the table or being discussed? DO’R: Correct. TDN: We all know about the unfortunate situation at Santa Anita and the problems it has created for the sport as a whole. NYRA is among a coalition of tracks that has announced it will begin to curb the use of Lasix in 2020. Is there more that’s on the table, is there more that NYRA can do and is thinking of doing to make racing as safe as possible for the jockeys and the horses? DO’R: One of the main things that we’re doing right now is working with the other coalition tracks to try to get uniformity. We think that is massively important. We’re proud of what we do here in terms of safety protocol and processes. We think we are the standard, but that standard evolves. We wouldn’t be holding onto something right now, saying, ‘Hey we believe if we did this today it would improve the safety of all of our athletes involved.’ What we would be doing is clamoring to get that done today. What we are doing is we’re investing in the people and the system, and I say system because a lot of it is data collection and processing, to basically mine out any opportunities that we can do to improve it. It is evolving. What we’re doing today will be slightly different next year. The whole idea is continuous improvement. TDN: Unfortunately we all believe that the number of fatalities at a racetrack will never go down to zero, but how confident are you that the people that work in these areas that you hire and employ can get that number of fatalities down and get it to a number that the public is more comfortable with? DO’R: I am extremely confident we can do that. There are slight fluctuations in timing, but over a period of time, let’s say two, three, five, six, seven years out, I’m extremely confident that safety numbers will improve. The industry is laser focused on it. We’re laser focused on it. I think undoubtedly things will improve nationally. TDN: Another question you’ve undoubtedly been asked a few thousand times: What is the latest on the Breeders’ Cup finally returning to New York? DO’R: It’s one of the objectives of our Belmont Development Plan. The Breeders’ Cup, the folks over there have been great. The benefit that they have is that they run at all the other tracks. They understand how to put on a high-end event. They have been very helpful with providing us with information, suggestions. That’s one of the objectives of the Belmont Development is to have a facility that would be able to host a Breeder’s Cup comfortably and put on a great event and get ourselves into the long term rotation. TDN: Could you give us a ball park figure? How many years away might you be from having that kind of facility where the Breeder’s Cup would say, ‘Yes, you guys are a great place to have a Breeders’ Cup’. DO’R: This is just a guess right now. I’d say possibly 2022 or 2023. I’m not sure how far in advance they have announced future locations, but, for us, 2023 certainly looks feasible.. TDN: Whether it be for safety reasons and/or the need for such a track during the winter, is NYRA still looking into putting in a synthetic track at Aqueduct or Belmont? DO’R: Yes, that comes up quite a bit. The question would be if you run in the winter here at Belmont, you would probably need one? The track configurations obviously are dirt, turf, turf. You can’t run in the winter here at Belmont on the dirt track because of shadows. At least that’s the way it’s been explained to me. The first question I had was, ‘Well why don’t we change?’ We’re going to revisit the tracks in terms of redoing them, that’s part of the development. That’s a given. TDN: You said you’re going to revisit the idea of making changes. I assume you mean to the track surfaces or configuration of the track surfaces? DO’R: Yes, improving drainage, irrigate, all of that. Those tracks will be redone in the next few years. But the question is, what’s the ideal configuration? You really don’t want to tie anyone’s hands in the future so even if it isn’t a definitive that we’re going to race in the winter at Belmont, is there a configuration that would make the transition easiest for everyone involved over the next many years? That’s part of the development project. Actually it’s probably the piece that will move first, what will we do with the tracks? Do you do turf, dirt, turf for instance. Does that allow the dirt course not to be in the shadows? If you had change to synthetic would you change the dirt course? There’s also the original theory of putting a synthetic in the middle right now but that would be four tracks deep. To answer your question, yes, it’s definitely something that’s discussed. Synthetics–the science behind it is a lot different than it was 10 years ago. It’s a product that’s improving. I’m very interested in discussing it. The post TDN Q & A: NYRA CEO & President David O’Rourke appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Blue Point once again held off the challenge of Battaash to claim back-to-back successes in the King's Stand Stakes (G1), as the pair filled the same two placings from last season. View the full article

Aidan O'Brien extended his record as the most successful trainer in the Coventry Stakes (G2) when Arizona gave him a ninth victory in the most prestigious 2-year-old race at Royal Ascot June 18. View the full article

Brought in as a substitute for Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) for the G1 St James’s Palace S., Circus Maximus (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) proved gladiatorial in the Ascot rain to provide Aidan O’Brien with an eighth renewal. Settled second early by Ryan Moore, the 10-1 shot who sported blinkers for the first time coming back from a sixth placing in the June 1 G1 Epsom Derby ground his way to the front with two furlongs to race and saw off the 2-1 favourite Phoenix of Spain (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and then TDN Rising Star Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) to hit the line just ahead of the strong-finishing fellow TDN Rising Star King of Comedy (Ire) (Kingman {GB}). 1–CIRCUS MAXIMUS (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Galileo (Ire) Duntle (Ire) (MGSW & G1SP-Ire, GSW & G1SP-Eng, G1SP-Fr, $458,532), by Danehill Dancer (Ire) 2nd Dam: Lady Angola, by Lord At War (Arg) 3rd Dam: Benguela, by Little Current 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £305,525. Lifetime Record: 7-3-0-1, £398,075. The post Galileo’s Circus Maximus Battles to St James’s Palace Glory appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In another piece of theatre on Royal Ascot’s opening card, the second act of the Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) and Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) stage play saw the spotlight fall once again on Godolphin’s TDN Rising Star at the end of the G1 King’s Stand S. With Battaash denied an ideal lead into the race after Houtzen (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) bobbled leaving the stall next to him and kept him removed from the main action up the centre, Blue Point was forced to plough his own furrow without cover near the pace set by Soldier’s Call (GB) (Showcasing {GB}). Jim Crowley had to make a move at halfway to get involved and Shadwell’s 2-1 favourite loomed ominously, but James Doyle was getting a typically generous response from his main adversary. Forging ahead from 150 yards out, which was a touch earlier than he had done 12 months previously, Blue Point had eked out a 1 1/4-length verdict over his foe at the line, with the 3-year-old Soldier’s Call sticking on courageously to be 1 1/2 lengths away in third. “He’s one of the old warriors of the yard and he’s always going to find for you,” an emotional Charlie Appleby said of the 5-2 second favourite, whose repeat win came in the gloom of a rain-hit afternoon. “We had him in the form of his life today and he was electric when James got on him last Wednesday. He said he was the fastest horse he had sat on. He’s been close to us all for a long time and always pulls on your heart strings.” 1–BLUE POINT (IRE), 130, h, 5, by Shamardal 1st Dam: Scarlett Rose (GB), by Royal Applause (GB) 2nd Dam: Billie Blue (GB), by Ballad Rock (Ire) 3rd Dam: Blue Nose (Ire), by Windjammer 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (110,000gns Wlg ’14 TATFOA; 200,000gns Ylg ’15 TATOCT). O-Godolphin; B-Oak Lodge Bloodstock (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby; J-James Doyle. £283,550. Lifetime Record: 19-10-3-3, £2,991,073. *1/2 to Formosina (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), GSW-Ire & GSP-Eng, $185,830. The post It’s Blue Point Again In the King’s Stand appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

DAY two at Royal Ascot and the day a lot of people are really looking forward to, myself included, because the Prince of Wales’s Stakes is the big race of the day. This is going to be a serious race. You have the likes of Crystal Ocean, Magical and Sea Of Class in there, not […] The post Kieren Fallon Royal Ascot Preview – Day 2 appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Lord Glitters stunned in the opening race of Royal Ascot 2019 when he denied Beat The Bank in a thrilling finish to the prestigious straight mile contest, which had the most dramatic of starts as last year's winner Accidental Agent refused to race. View the full article

Aidan O’Brien matched jockey Sir Gordon Richards’ record haul and extended his own trainers’ record, as 15-8 favourite Arizona (Ire) (No Nay Never) pounced wide and late to secure a ninth edition for the trainer in Tuesday’s G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot. The bay was tenderly handled in defeat over six furlongs at The Curragh in his May 6 debut and obliterated the opposition when streaking to an eight-length score back over the same course and distance in his only other start last time May 26. Racing off the pace in the far-side group of nine from the outset, he was scrubbed along approaching the final quarter mile and kept on relentlessly under a final-furlong drive to outpoint 4-1 market rival Threat (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) by a half-length in the dying strides with 6-1 chance Guildsman (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) a neck further back in third. ARIZONA (IRE), c, 2, No Nay Never–Lady Ederle, by English Channel. (65,000gns Wlg ’17 TATFOA; €260,000 Ylg ’18 ARAUG. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, £99,433. O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Stephen Sullivan (Ire); T-Aidan O’Brien. The post No Nay Never’s Arizona Pounces For Coventry Glory appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article